Look for Structure: SMP 7—Look for and Make Use of Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Does This Standard Mean for Grades K–2 Problem

Once students in primary grades learn how to recognize patterns they begin to point out patterns in their environment, including the classroom and their home. However, these are typically visual patterns, such as a sequence of red and blue cubes or shapes on a curtain. Teachers have to guide their students toward recognition of patterns and structure in other aspects of mathematics: digits end in 5 then 0 when skip-counting by fives; the number of sides of a polygon increase when the number of angles increase. As students begin to recognize this type of structure in mathematics, they will begin to use shortcuts to become more efficient at problem solving.